46 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



Lamb's Hotel and Store at Setlagoli in time for 

 supper. Black and white bustards were crowing 

 here and there loudly as we passed along; and, 

 nearing Setlagoli, the sharp call of a covey of 

 Orange River francolins was to be heard, as they 

 made their way to some drinking-hole in the river 

 bed. It was some few weeks later that I again 

 visited Woodhouse Kraal. This time there were 

 five of us, and we arranged to camp out for the 

 night, rise early, and have a try for guinea-fowl down 

 a thickly bushed watercourse, now dry. As usual, 

 we rode across, bagging a few Vaal and black and 

 white koorhaan by the way. These, split open and 

 spatchcocked over the hot ashes of the camp-fire, 

 served, with some steaks of good Bechuanaland beef 

 from a native ox, and a kettle of coffee, to provide 

 a capital supper ; after which, and a pipe or two, 

 we rolled ourselves in our blankets — toes to the fire 

 — and went to sleep just as the moon rose over 

 the darkling kopje behind us. 



At 4 a.m. we were stirring, the fire was re- 

 plenished, some coffee made, and then we started 

 away in different directions. Somehow that day 

 the guinea-fowl evaded us, and we never succeeded 

 in finding more than one solitary brace. There had 

 been no rain for some time, and a storm was 

 slowly brewing. The day was intensely hot, the 

 usually sparkling atmosphere of these plateaux 



